A Meta Named Desire
by RozaSlade
Summary: Barry encounters a Meta that has been apparently forcing people to act a certain way. Once he is affected by her powers, will he mess everything up with his wife by indulging in an icy mistress?
1. Chapter 1

He was tired. So incredibly tired. More so than usual.

Barry Allen hasn't gotten sleep in three days. Or has it been four? He's not sure.

The people of Central City have been acting very strange lately. So strange that many of them have been engaging in not-so-legal activities. Between the regular metas acting up, and now non-metas causing more crime than usual at his day job, he's not sure how much more he can handle.

"Barry?" a voice startled him, and his eyes fluttered open, "Barry did you hear what I just said?"

Iris West-Allen was staring at him with a deadpan expression. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but she didn't look happy.

"Yeah," he coughed and sat up a little straighter on one of the spare office chairs STAR Labs seems to import regularly.

"Ok, then what are you still doing here?" She crossed her arms, and one of her eyebrows cocked up- challenging him.

His shoulders slouched as he signed, unable to play the part of a hero today. He put his hands to his face and tried to rub the exhaustion from his eyes.

"Sweetheart," he started.

But Iris wasn't having it. Not today.

"Barry!" His ears were ringing from the hertz, "I know you're tired, I get that. Believe me, I'm not well rested either, what with the spike in crime and everything…"

If Barry weren't a smart man, he would have rolled his eyes. Try fighting it, he thought to himself.

"But we all have responsibilities to follow around here. This is the fifth time that you have ignored me this week, and I'm so tired of having to direct you only to have you question my leading abilities!"

 _What_?

His shoulders straightened, and he stood up, "What are you talking about? Nobody is questioning your leadership on the team!"

"But you are, Barry!" He hated hearing her stress his name like that. It sounded like venom from her mouth.

"Well maybe" his voice was harsher than he intended, "if you had an _inkling_ of an idea what it's like to be me…"

He tried to ignore the way both her eyebrows shifted upwards, "What it's like to have powers and constantly have people depend on you…"

She cut him off, "Of course I do! We are a team, Barry. You aren't the Flash! The Flash is bigger than you! And until you start understanding that you're going to keep having these issues."

He couldn't believe what was happening. Since when have he and Iris fought like this? Since when have they been at such diametrically opposed intersections in anything, let alone this. But, somehow, he couldn't stop himself.

"Iris, _we_ aren't The Flash!" he yelled, "I appreciate you looking out for everyone, but nobody asked you to quit your job! You weren't thrust into this responsibility, you _chose_ this. And it's driving me crazy because I can't seem to breathe without you telling me I'm doing it wrong!"

The room fell into silence. He hurt her. That much was certain. They stared off at each other in quiet battle, neither seeming to give in. The fire in his chest seemed to grow hotter. The ring on his left finger was suddenly feeling tighter…

"Uh, isn't that the alarm?" Cisco came in peering through the doorframe. He didn't need his vibe to tell him how thick the tension was in the room.

Caitlin followed him close behind, unable to see inside with Cisco blocking the way, "It's been going off for a while now." she commented, "Is everything okay? Does Barry need help?"

Without looking away from his eyes, Iris shifted her weight into a proud stance and stated, rather plainly, "He was actually just leaving."

He felt so stupid. That's obviously what she wanted him to do to begin with. This whole fight seems so incredibly out of proportion now. He needed to apologize. But later.

He swallowed, and turned to face the rest of the team, "Yeah, sorry."

With his signature flash, he was gone.

"Barry, what do you see?" He heard Caitlin's voice through the intercom of the suit.

He was confused, "I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be looking at…"

He was at the park. He saw couples strolling hand in hand, crunching autumn leaves beneath their feet. He heard the distant sound of children laughing, and soft quacks coming from the nearby lake.

"There's nothing here." His statement sounded more like a question. He looked around in distress, "Everyone looks like they're fine."

He could hear the sound of keyboard furiously typing away, and Cisco interrupted, "Well, look again. There's definitely a spike in meta activity in that park."

"Guys, I'm telling you, everyone's fi-"

He heard a piercing scream coming from the other side of the lake. He rushed into a picturesque scene of lilies and carefully crafted white decorations. He thought he saw a disgruntled crowd, wreaking havoc in front of a wedding ceremony, a group of disenfranchised people all simultaneously crashing a wedding- as one typically finds, of course. But then he looked closer, they were all guests, dressed to the nines for the occasion. And what's worse, they were all in a strange whirl of passion.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked out loud, trying to pry some wedding guests off of each other. Many were in an innocent, passionate embrace, others were just short of ripping off their clothes...

He heard a girl call out in agony, "You slut!"

The Bride, all in white, was tugging at her bridesmaid's hair in such a way that he thought it was going to come off entirely.

"How could you?" She screamed, tears ruining her makeup, "He's my fiancé!"

Barry rushed to them and pulled the women apart.

"He loved it! You should have seen him begging for it!" He couldn't believe what he just heard. The Bride was in tears while her bridesmaid was unabashedly confessing to enjoying her affair.

"It's a complete frenzy!" He yelled out to the team, "Everyone's either mad or horny. I don't know what's going on!"

Just then, he heard laughter coming from behind him. Beneath the wedding arches stood a girl in a long dress identical to the other bridesmaid. She was no more than fifteen, with eyes shining a deep red in the wake of this destruction.

"I think I found our meta..."

"Well, well!" She started, her smile growing bigger by the second, "To what do we owe this honor? I didn't think our residential hero would show up to this sham!"

Barry's stance was sharper. He lifted his fists in case her powers involved something physical, "Who are you?"

"Oh Flash," her eyes blazed a brighter red, "I'm nobody. But you can call me Desire."

"What are you talking about?"

He was worried something else was coming. She was too young to be put in Iron Heights, but clearly, she was showing no signs of remorse for whatever she's done to these people.

This time, he heard Cisco through the intercom, "The satellite picked up facial recognition. Her name is Olivia Kiora. She's a high school student, straight A's, good kid. She had her appendix removed five years ago. That's all we have on her."

The people closest to her were in already in the process of removing their clothes. Many of them were already doing unspeakable things in broad daylight.

"What are you doing to them, Olivia?" his voice was stern and calm.

Her smile dropped at the sound of her name, "Desire." She emphasized.

"I'm not doing anything, Flash. See for yourself, everyone's having a blast all on their own."

"Do you guys see this?" he addressed the team once more.

"Yeah," Caitlin answered, "It looks like she might be emanating some kind of pheromone that makes people want to..." she coughed, "do the dirty."

If he weren't facing an enemy, he would have laughed at her adorable innocence, "But how is she doing that?"

The girl spoke up first, "Hasn't anyone told you its rude to ignore those you're having a conversation with?"

"Desire, what do you want? What are you doing to them" he asked again, hoping for a clearer explanation.

"I want people to see themselves as they truly are! They shouldn't hold back their feelings! It's natural."

"You're forcing them to do this for your own enjoyment, don't you see that's wrong?"

His eyebrows furrowed, and she continued, "I'm not forcing anyone to do anything. I just wanted to show my sister the truth, before she made an awful mistake."

Barry looked back at the Bride, who was now on the ground unabashedly crying hysterically, "The Bride is your sister?" she nodded, "You did this on her wedding day?"

Desire rolled her eyes, "What a better day than to destroy their expectation of happy monogamy than on the one that is supposed to uphold the sanctity of marriage?"

He saw the CCPD pull up behind Olivia. They were closing in fast, heading to try to rectify the situation. "Olivia..."

"Don't call me that! You don't know me! You don't know anything!" Her hands became a similar color to her eyes as she raised them in his direction.

Before he could react, she blasted him with red light, and he fell over from the impact.

Unbeknownst to her, the CCPD had enough time to sneak up behind her and cuff her with power dampening technology.

Joe, heading the mission, went toward him and offered a hand, "Are you alright, Flash?"

Barry used Joe's hand to get up and dust himself off. He put his own hand to his head, still a bit dizzy from the blast, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. Just..."

Barry looked at the girl, in handcuffs and being read her Miranda rights. Suddenly she looked a lot more innocent with silent tears falling down her cheeks, "Make sure she gets help, she's too young to be locked up."

"Don't worry, Flash, we'll take care of her."

Barry rushed back to STAR Labs, out of protocol. He really just wanted to be at home, making that date with his King-sized bed. Even though he didn't fight much, that interaction with Desire took a lot out of him.

Cisco greeted him at the control center.

"Another one down, my man!" His hand was extended upwards, asking for a high five. Barry motioned one from across the room.

"Looks like you locked up Desire in record time."

He sat down on one of the rolling chairs, eyes closed, and he chuckled out of politeness.

Cisco shrugged and continued to look over at something in the monitor. Caitlin had entered the room and her head buried in a tablet, looking over Barry's vitals that could be read through the suit. She walked toward the static speedster with concern in her eyes.

"Barry, are you alright?" She put her hand on his shoulder "I know... Desire blasted you with something. Do you feel any different?"

Eyes still closed, he shook his head. He could smell Caitlin's perfume from her close proximity. Has she always smelled so sweet?

A phone went off. Caitlin and Barry both looked over at Cisco who promptly answered, "Yeah?"

He lifted his finger to the two and mouthed 'I'll be right back' as he left the room, to get more privacy.

Barry looked over at Caitlin and was about to tell her not to worry, so he could finally go home and sleep when she grabbed his hand, and he felt his body light on fire.

"I know you said you're okay, but I would feel so much better if I could run just a few tests on you?"

He swallowed hard. Suddenly very aware of how close Dr. Snow was to him. He glanced down at her hand, still touching his, with an eagerness and weariness he was afraid to explore, but still feeling the need to.

She noticed his glance and removed her hand promptly, shifting her attention to the tablet.

Barry wasn't blind. He knew that Caitlin was beautiful, with her long legs that could go on for miles, and her big wide eyes that made him wonder just how big they could get while she's looking over at him while on her knees...

Barry shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable.

Something told him she felt the same way about him. In fact, long ago, in a different timeline, he thought maybe something would blossom between them. But it wasn't the right time for them. Or maybe it was, and he just messed it all up.

In this light, however, Barry couldn't help but notice that Caitlin looked absolutely radiant. Her hair was impossibly bouncy and shiny, and her mouth was being abused by her biting over her lips, in anxiety. He held his breath as he realized he wanted to be doing that himself.

Suddenly, he wasn't tired anymore. He was excited. _Very_ excited.

Without thinking, he reached for her hand. Her eyes were hesitant as she peered away from the screen in her hands.

"Barry?" her hair fell out of place, covering part of her face, "Are you alright?"

He stood up and used his lightning speed to be inches away from her. He reached over to move the falling strands back into place, his wedding ring shining from the light of the afternoon sun.

Caitlin swallowed hard, immediately aware of what was going on, "Barry, I don't know what has gotten into you, but you need to stop. _Now_."

She said that without looking away, without moving even. Barry kept his hand near her face, with his other snaking across her waist in the softest of touches. He was so gentle, so loving with his lingering touch, that Caitlin had no idea how to react.

"You're absolutely mesmeric, Cait."

His eyes shifted back and forth to each one of her facial features, unsure of what to focus on. It was all so much. _She_ was too much to look at, too much to admire. Every cell in his body was on fire from her ice cold touch.

"Barry," her breath was getting shallow, "What are you doing?"

"Please, Cait." His voice was a mere whisper.

There he goes again, calling her Cait. So intimate, so treasured. His touch seemed to burn her through her clothes. He lowered his head down to the nape of her neck, holding her closer as if he was scared she was going to disappear, breathing her in.

"You smell divine."

His voice was low and hungry, and she could feel his breath on her neck as he murmured, "Caitlin Snow, I could ravish you."

She let out an involuntary soft moan, and that's all Barry needed to pounce on her neck. He needed to hear more of that. _Much_ more. He needed to listen to her scream his name again and again.

He licked and sucked on her delicate porcelain neck, which caused her to moan deeper. She was so startled and so turned on, she couldn't do anything but let it happen. She wanted to give in and make this happen. She's wanted it for so long, but she gave up on those daydreams the day he walked down the aisle.

Iris!

"Barry you need to stop" she meant to sound stern and confident, but she sounded sensual and out of breath, "What about Iris?"

Barry ignored the context of her words and moved to her lips. Without hesitation, his mouth met hers, and he gave out a soft grunt, pushing their bodies closer together, longing for the friction.

Caitlin's tongue met his, and he almost melted with how delectable she tasted. He wanted to taste so much more.

He vibrated against her hips, causing her to moan louder. He almost whimpered at how badly she made him want her.

His hands wandered over her body as he felt every curve on his fingertips. He ached to rip her clothes off, to feel her bare against his skin. Caitlin's hands reached for his hair, and he bit her lips playfully in response, making her sough.

The sound of the door opening caused her to push Barry away. He whined by the sudden lack of Caitlin in his arms and reached back to hold her and kiss her neck and up to her ears.

Ok, woah.

Something wasn't right. Clearly. Any sane person would have stopped before they were caught in a moment of infidelity.

That's when Caitlin figured it out. She was so lost in the moment, so confused and so incredibly hopeful that she didn't realize what was happening.

With Barry still on her body, pressing her to the desk and licking her neck, Caitlin looked over his shoulder to see a shocked Cisco Ramon standing next to an angry Iris West-Allen. She called out, "Something's wrong with Barry!"

"I'll say!" Iris yelled out, anger exploding through her body as she watched her husband continue to suck on another woman's neck.

Cisco ran over to Caitlin and Barry while addressing Iris, "No you don't understand, he was hit with Desire's powers earlier. There must have been some kind of a latent effect."

Cisco went to pull Barry off of Caitlin, and Barry responded with a grunt directed his way, as he continued to kiss Caitlin's neck and collarbone.

"Barry!" Iris shrieked, " _Get off of her_!"

He pulled away from Caitlin and looked in the direction of a fuming Iris. He looked back at Caitlin and saw her doe eyes stare back, her lips red from his kisses, his love bites already forming marks on her neck... And his suit felt so incredibly _tight_.

He picked her up and flashed out of the room, going to a more reserved area of Star Labs, so they could continue uninterrupted.

"Barry, stop!" Caitlin sounded more forceful, all of the seductive suggestion was gone from her tone and instead she was dripping in anger and confusion. Barry didn't listen as he continued to kiss down to her clavicle again.

"I said," she put her hands on his chest and started to freeze him, " _Stop_!"

Just then, Cisco vibed into the room with Iris by his side. They saw Barry on the ground, shivering from cold.

"Are you alright?" Cisco asked her as he went over to grab Barry.

She held herself in comfort, still out of breath and clothes slightly askew from both the dash and a certain speedster's wandering hands.

"Yeah I'm fine," she straightened her back and tried to collect herself, "Just restrain him on the medical chair while I try to reverse whatever is going on."

"So what's wrong with him?" Iris was looking over her shoulder as Caitlin was reviewing some of her charts and looking over blood samples.

Barry was still sleeping off whatever Cisco gave him as he was securely strapped onto the restraints on the bed in case the speedster woke up again, craving more adult attention.

"I have no idea, his physiology is perfect. The only thing I could see is that his testosterone levels are higher than usual, but testosterone alone wouldn't be able to do this." Catlin looked back at the papers, she looked so lost in her work it was as though she was talking out loud, "I'm still waiting on the neuro results... Maybe we'll get more luck there."

Iris was still angry at Barry and Caitlin, even though she knew the truth behind his actions. It felt awful seeing the man she loved with another woman, just a few hours after their big fight. But even if Barry couldn't help himself, one thing lingered on Iris's mind longer than it should have.

"What about you?"

Caitlin looked up from her data, "What about me?"

"Were you affected too?"

Caitlin's eyes fluttered as she looked at the wife of the man she was exchanging salvia with not but an hour ago, "No..."

Iris's arms folded across her chest, "Then why didn't you stop him?"

"I did."

"No," Iris began, "Why didn't you stop him _earlier_?"

Caitlin swallowed, unsure of how to respond.

"Iris?"

The two women shifted their attention back to the bed. Barry was awake, and tugging at his restraints, "What happened?"

Iris went to his side, pushing away any thoughts of him and Caitlin together, "Don't you remember?"

"I don't..." Barry started, but when his glance fell on Caitlin, he realized what he had done, "Oh God, Cait, I'm so sorry."

Before Caitlin could say anything else, Cisco came into the room, still on the phone with a medical buddy of his at Iron Heights, "Thank you so much, Steve. And you're sure about this right?"

The room was quiet, waiting on Cisco to finish his conversation, "No man, you've helped a lot. Thank again for looking into this for me."

 _Click_.

"I just got off the phone with the doctor that examined our young minx, Desire."

Iris was working on his restraints, and Barry sat up, rubbing his wrists from the uncomfortable feeling they've been under when she finally set him free.

"Did you, um, figure out what she did to me?"

It was a question directed to everyone, but Caitlin could feel his eyes on her body. She tried to keep herself busy, looking anywhere but the scarlet speedster.

"Actually, I think I might know," Cisco replied, all eyes on him, "remember how everyone seemed to be in a frenzy this week?"

"There's been a huge spike in crime lately, yeah, what about it?" Iris asked with her hand on Barry's shoulder, studying Cisco.

"Well looks like Desire was responsible."

Caitlin's eyes widened as she looked at the results of Barry's neurological scans, and her eyes darted toward Cisco, knowing what he would say.

"What do you mean?" Barry got up from the bed, stretching his legs. He made a motion to hold Iris's hand, and she reluctantly let him

"He means," Caitlin spoke up, "Desire didn't make people fall for each other. She didn't make them desire anything. She messed with their prefrontal cortex in such a way as to temporarily mess with their behavioral patterns."

Barry's heart sank, and he felt a pit in his stomach as he realized where Caitlin was going with this. It made perfect sense to him, he just never admitted it.

"More specifically, she messed with their inhibitions," Cisco finished.

Iris dropped her hand from Barry's grasp, prolonging the inevitable as she asked redundantly, "Meaning...?"

"Meaning all of those people had thought of behaving that way, to begin with. Desire just let go of the restrictions in their mind, like their morality, and let them succumb to... their..." Cisco didn't want to finish his sentence because he realized they were all suddenly talking about Barry.

But Iris pressed on, much to everyone's chagrin, "Succumb to their what, Cisco?"

"To their own will."


	2. Chapter 2

She hasn't spoken to him yet.

Not one word.

Not in the last hour.

Cisco and Iris were in the control room, trying to clean up the smaller messes Desire left in her wake. All the metas that she affected were behind bars for the most part, but many still needed their full attention since most couldn't really control their actions at the time. Some were still under her spell, for lack of a better term, and were causing quite the stir at Iron Heights.

There were still a lot of non-metas still roaming the streets that have been affected by her powers but haven't done anything illegal for the most part. At least not yet. And there was still the question of how many innocent people Team Flash, and the CCPD, have locked up and how to help them break her power.

Caitlin had left early saying something about feeling tired, not that anyone believed her. But it was understandable that she didn't want to see Barry right now.

 _Barry_ didn't want to see Barry right now.

He was sitting quietly on the medical bed, trying to think over all of his actions. He hadn't moved since learning the revelations of what Desire actually did to him. Iris's reaction felt like a quiet storm, gathering more strength and speed as time passed- becoming more deadly by the hour. She didn't ask any more questions about Barry or Desire. Instead, she insisted that she and Cisco had a lot of work to do.

Business as usual.

His fingers were absentmindedly playing with his wedding ring; sliding the classic metal up and down his ring finger — the sheen mocking him, creating a constant reminder of what he did.

What he **_craved._**

He shut his eyes closed, needing to forget. And longing to remember.

"It's still unclear about whether the effects are temporary or not."

He heard Cisco's voice getting louder along with the sound of heels meeting the polished concrete floors echo through the open door. Barry's gaze had focused on his hands, realizing how he was playing with his ring. He quickly put it back on and sat up, expecting Cisco by the door.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Cisco was cautious with his words. As if the wrong phrase would break him. But Barry didn't understand why. He felt fine.

Barry's focus shifted to his wife, standing next to Cisco, and staring at the floor beside him.

"I'm…" Barry began, unsure how to finish his statement. Was he fine? He felt guilty, sure, of course. But he wasn't devastated. He still felt in control. He still felt like himself.

"I don't know." He answered honestly, fixated on Iris's scowl.

Cisco rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to respond in such a delicate situation. He thought back to earlier today when the tension was just as thick and immediately felt uncomfortable.

He coughed awkwardly to fill the silence, "Well, uh, if you start feeling any different, give me a call. We still don't know if Desire's effects are provisional or if you just don't have an impulse to do anything right now."

Barry nodded, and Cisco looked around the room, hesitant about whether he should say anything else. He decided it may be best not to and turned to Iris, "I'll go... start the car."

Barry looked back to his wife who gave Cisco a soft smile as he left them alone in the room. His eyebrows furrowed from Cisco's comment and _finally_ , her eyes met his.

She looked down almost immediately with her arms crossed, forming an additional barrier between them. It felt like an eternity before she actually spoke.

"I'm," she exhaled, "going to be staying at Dad's for a while."

"What?" He sat up, and Iris jumped, alarmed from his sudden reaction, "Why? Shouldn't we talk about this?"

Her grip on her arms grew stronger as she shut her eyes, "I just need some time to process everything."

Barry couldn't believe what she was saying. Of course, he messed up. He'll be the first to admit that. But he couldn't control his actions! Surely she should know that he would never willingly cheat!

"But there's nothing to think about?" Barry questioned and stepped closer, "I couldn't control what I was doing, you know that!"

Iris backed up from the door frame and into the control room, trying to leave space between them, "It's not about that, Barry."

He knew she had every reason to be upset, but she wasn't even giving him a chance! She just kept running away from this- from him. He used his super speed to get closer to her and, in a moment of weakness, held her by her shoulders as if to beg. Her expression changed to something of disgust.

"Barry. Don't." She pushed his hands away, turning her face away from him.

"I don't understand! You know I would never freely cheat on you."

"It's not about that!" Her eyes were blazon in anger. She addressed him fully now, with confidence and courage, "You wanted to do that, Barry. That was _you_. Desire might have caused this, but _you_ were the one who _wanted to do it_."

All he could do was stare. Letting the silence fill the space between them and it made him feel like they were miles away from each other rather than two feet away.

He let go of the breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

He opened his mouth to say something, _anything_ , but his mind was blank.

She shook her head, "I can't even look at you right now."

He watched her as she turned away and started walking toward the door, "Iris, wait."

She turned around by the exit and looked at him expectantly. He didn't want her to go, but he had no idea what to say.

He sighed with his head turned down and said the first thing he thought of, "I'm sorry."

She scoffed, and he heard the door close behind her, leaving Barry alone with his thoughts.

Caitlin couldn't stop fidgeting. She kept moving from the kitchen to the living room, to her room, then back.

She tried cleaning for a while, but her apartment was already tidy. She tried reading a few new theoretical journals, but none of them held her attention. She even tried watching bad reality TV to shut her mind off, but whenever a new couple would hook up, she would shut it off and repeat the cycle.

She yelled in frustration and fell onto her bed, shutting her eyes firmly. She grabbed her favorite pillow and hugged it while burying her face in the freshly washed linen sheets.

 _What the hell, Barry?_

She couldn't get that kiss out of her head: his touch, his smell, _his taste_.

"Barry…" She whispered to herself, outlining her lips with the tips of her fingers.

She thought this part of her was gone. She felt she let go of her silly crush on Central City's hero and her best friend. It was hard at first. She spent many years stealing glances and daydreaming about how he would feel pressed against her. How disheveled his hair would look waking up next to her. How she would decorate their shared home, and what kind of movies he would force her watch on their casual date nights.

She sighed.

Ever since he got married, she was forced to face the truth. Hell, since he started dating Iris, she knew that fantasy had no chance of becoming a reality…

But part of her still felt drawn to him. Like they were _supposed_ to be together. Like they were somehow cheated of that chance.

 _Cheated_.

That's precisely what they did today.

She hated herself for doing that to Iris. She thought back on the conversation they had earlier. Why _didn't_ she stop him initially?

The memory of Barry invaded her thoughts again. How his Flash suit firmly hugged his lean muscular frame. How she could see the sweat still clinging on his body from fighting crime that day. His arms binding her body to his.

His tongue slowly brushing up the side of her neck.

She instinctively moved her hand to her neck as if to cover it up, chasing the ghost of his touch away.

She was in shock. Of course! _That's why_ she didn't stop him!

She smiled at the sudden revelation, trying to ignore how hard she felt her heart pounding in her chest.

She simply didn't … understand… what he was doing. Yeah! He just caught her off guard, is all.

 ** _'You don't actually believe that, do you?'_**

She held her pillow tighter and groaned into the sheets, "Please, Frost. Not now…"

' _ **Just admit it**_ ,' she almost sounded bored, ' _ **you liked it. You didn't stop it, because you wanted it.**_ '

"Frost…" Caitlin cautioned, her voice muffled from the pillow.

 ** _'You wanted him.'_**

"Frost!"

 ** _'Hey, I don't blame you. I've often wondered just how audacious a thundersnow would get…'_**

Caitlin could actually feel Frost smirking, "Oh God, I can't do this right now."

She left her bed and headed to the kitchen. Between the haunting thoughts of Barry's touch and Frost's teasing, she was sure to go insane.

She collected her chilled wine from her fridge and began to grab one of her wineglasses, when she caught sight of her reflection on the smooth crystal. She held it up to her neck and saw bright red marks sprinkled all over; the evidence of Barry's foray staring back at her. Taunting her.

Her grip loosened and she heard the glass shatter beneath her feet. Catching her breath, she ignored the scattered fragments and went to grab the strong liquor she reserved for special guests. Not bothering with another glass, she lifted the bottle and felt the clear liquid burn her throat on the way down.

 _Barry Allen, what are you doing to me?_

Barry ran. Everywhere and nowhere.

At first, he started running around town, chasing the common criminal around the city, unburdening the workload for the police department.

But there were only so many criminals.

He then started running across to neighboring cities and tried to save some lives there. After a few, he realized he was causing too much confusion and was stepping on too many toes, so he ran back home.

The apartment felt empty. He felt empty. But maybe he was just tired. He tried getting his mind off everything by going to bed. He wanted to let sleep consume him, but every time he allowed his mind wander he saw how long Caitlin's eyelashes were from up close, the deep shade of her lipstick, her impossibly soft lips.

He got up. This wasn't working. He needed a shower. He sped to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. He let the water splash his face. Ice cold water met his skin, and his arms were riddled with goosebumps with how cold it felt.

It's almost frosty…

This is somehow worse, he decided.

He turned off the faucet and got dressed. Maybe another run would finally exhaust him. He didn't want to think about anything; he just wanted to run.

He felt his legs surge forward, propelling him through the lightning. He ran back and forth, hoping it would become monotonous. Yet, a tingling sensation coursed through his arms and legs. The electricity was so hot it almost burned him.

He stopped to catch his breath and to avoid accidentally traveling through time with how fast he was going. He thought about heading back, finally feeling his eyes beginning to heavy, until he realized where he was.

A firm, white door inches away from his face.

His hand was already in a ball, beckoning a knock.

He stepped back.

What the hell was he doing here? How could he have absentmindedly ended up at Caitlin's doorstep?

He couldn't be here. Not now. Not after what he did.

He turned to leave but heard the sound of glass breaking. He twisted back to the door, finding his hand back in the position he started in. But he was still uncertain of what he was going to do. Of what he even wanted to do...

He inhaled sharply.

He should apologize, right? At the very least he should see if she's okay, he decided.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed! I didn't expect to make this into a multiple chapter thing but your support has helped me bring this to life. I wanted to know if rating this T was appropriate or not, because I feel like if I change the rating to M it would get a lot more explicit later on. Send me a PM if you don't want to leave a review, but I really wanna know your thoughts! Thanks again x

* * *

How is she going to get through this?

Caitlin thought letting go of Barry once was hard enough, but now that she's had a taste it almost feels unfair. She can only take so much, and the thought of Barry actually having some kind of unexpressed feelings for her…

She groaned and drank another shot.

She was working through plausible excuses for calling in sick from work tomorrow, but a knock on her door made her forget any good ones.

Her eyebrows creased together and her eyes went from the digital clock on her microwave to her front door. She closed the bottle and placed it on the counter before she headed toward the sound.

Another knock, slightly louder this time.

She paused before looking through the peephole, unsure who she was hoping to find. She saw a tuft of brown hair, and her heart dropped to her stomach.

She opened the door before she had a chance to talk herself out of it.

"Barry."

Barry looked up from the floor and stared at his personal doctor, suddenly forgetting what he was so worried about, "Caitlin."

Her grip tightened on the door handle, "What are you doing here?"

What _was_ he doing here? One look at Caitlin was enough to make him forget any excuse he had to come over to see her.

His eyes roamed over her body on their own. He took notice of her oversized shirt first, then how much longer her ivory legs seemed without any material covering them. He forced his eyes to wander back up when he noticed her trying to elongate her shirt with her free hand.

"I…" He started but stopped abruptly to stare at her neck where he saw the marks he had left earlier for her.

He felt his face grow hotter from embarrassment- or was it pride?

Caitlin placed a hand on her neck to obstruct his view.

"Barry?" She repeated, snapping him out of his trance.

He blinked twice, "I was, uh, in the neighborhood."

He took note of how high her left eyebrow cocked up, "At one in the morning?"

"I couldn't sleep." His voice was even, leaving Caitlin unsure of what he was thinking.

She pulled the door close to her body, needing something sturdy to hold on to.

"And you decided to come see me?" She sounded skeptical.

Barry took a step forward, causing her to shift back. He put his hand on the door, keeping her from closing it on him, "I needed to apologize."

He could tell by how her forehead creased that she didn't believe him, "It couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"I couldn't sleep." He repeated, his voice even lower than before, and lowered his head closer to hers at an infinitely slow pace for a speedster.

He smirked when he heard her catch her breath.

Caitlin raised her hand to his chest and kept him from moving any closer. Frost was beginning to emanate from her palm as she made contact with his shirt.

"Then apologize." Her eyes shifted from deep brown to frosty silver and back, her two personalities battling for dominance- unsure of what she needed.

His eyes left hers and went to the inside of her apartment, "Can I come in?"

He felt his chest get cooler, "That might not be the best idea, Barry."

He liked the sound of his name coming out of her mouth. She made it sound like a song.

"I just want to talk, I swear." He lied through his teeth, and he could tell Caitlin wasn't buying it either, "Freeze me if I do anything stupid."

She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. The things she wants him to do are _very_ stupid. She wondered, by the glimmer in his eyes, if he suspected as much.

Feeling the alcohol start to take effect, she moved aside and opened the door wider to let him in, "Ten minutes."

Barry tried to keep himself from smiling as he entered her apartment.

"Sit down anywhere, just give me a chance to get changed."

He nodded and watched her turn away from him and toward her bedroom. His eyes were drawn immediately to how her hips swayed back and forth as she walked away. From this angle, he could appreciate just how short her shirt was- barely even scraping her thighs. If she bent over he'd be able to see-

She slammed her bedroom door, locking it behind her. If Barry was still affected by Desire's powers, she couldn't trust him to be alone in a room with her and a bed conveniently placed between them. She couldn't exactly trust herself, either.

Who was she kidding? Barry is obviously still affected. He wouldn't be here, in her apartment, this late if he weren't.

Even while intoxicated she knew this was a bad idea. She knew she should send him home immediately before they both do something they will surely regret.

Still, she pushed the thought away as she rifled through her cabinet in search of some modest pants.

Meanwhile, Barry's hands were in his pockets as he looked around her apartment. He'd been here before, on their pseudo-date when she got way too drunk for his liking, but back then he was more preoccupied with taking care of her than noticing her decorum.

A particular picture sitting on her coffee table grabbed his attention as he went over to her couch. He sat down and reached for it, feeling his mouth turning upward as he stared. Cisco, Caitlin, and himself were smiling from ear to ear as they posed after saving Central City for the very first time.

At the time, he was slightly irritated at Cisco for wanting to document every moment of that day. But now, he's glad he did.

Things were a lot simpler back then, he thought.

"Hey."

He stood up and turned in Caitlin's direction. He was almost disappointed when he saw her in a turtleneck and proper pants.

"That's one of my favorites," She admitted while pointing to the photograph still in Barry's possession.

He looked down and placed it back on the coffee table, "Mine too. It was so long ago I can hardly remember it now."

Caitlin shook her head and made her way to the living room, careful to maintain an appropriate amount of space between them, "You're not fooling anyone, Mr. Allen. You remember every second of that day."

He chuckled, "You're right, Dr. Snow."

Barry saw her smile widen by the mention of her last name and he felt compelled to grin back, "I also remember you didn't like me very much back then."

"A lot's changed since then."

Both of their smiles faltered as they each stared at a different fixed spot on the floor.

"It has," he agreed.

Both were silent, lost in thought and each reminiscing- letting the heavy weight of _so many_ words that were left unsaid fill the space between them.

After much longer than anticipated, Caitlin spoke up, "So, you said something about an apology?"

"Right." He started to travel forward, but when he saw her eyes flash silver for a moment, he stopped in his tracks, "I'm sorry, Caitlin. I don't know what came over me."

She remained silent, thinking they both knew what, or rather who came over him.

He sighed, unconvinced by his apology, "No, that's not right. I mean, I'm sorry I forced you to be in that position."

Her head tilted to the right, "You didn't force me to do anything, Barry."

"Right, no, I meant…" Barry's mouth stayed open, hoping to find the proper words to say.

He sighed and stepped back, turning his head away so he wouldn't be distracted by how her stare seemed to bore into his core. He closed his eyes and decided just to be honest, "I didn't think I still felt that way about you."

Caitlin's eyes widened. This is not the conversation she was expecting to have with the fastest man alive.

"You felt that way about me?" Her voice was almost trembling, scared she had heard him wrong.

His eyebrows knitted closer together, and he shifted his frame back to face her, "You must have known."

Caitlin shook her head slightly, and he smiled solemnly, "Come on, Cait. You made it impossible not to."

Is this actually happening, she asked herself. Did she fall asleep watching those god-awful programs? Or is Barry, her _happily married,_ _best friend,_ actually confessing to having feelings for her?

"Oh my God."

Wait, did she say that out loud?

She felt lightheaded. It might've been from the liquor or maybe by Barry's confession, but she felt her knees give in and she almost fell, in need of more support.

Barry noticed immediately and zoomed to her, keeping her upright and staring into her eyes. His hands never leaving her body.

Caitlin cursed her past self for drinking as she held onto Barry's strong arm. Her eyes met his impossibly green ones, and any semblance of a coherent thought escaped her.

She counted the freckles on his face as he moved closer to her, "Are you alright?"

Caitlin cupped the side of his face with her hand, staring back at him silently, afraid to move. His eyes were vibrant, his pupils dilated, and he smelled like a walk through the woods in early Spring.

He reached over and held her hand in his, leaving his wedding ring in Caitlin's peripheral vision.

"Barry, I…" She started, but his cell phone rang causing both of them to straighten up and move away from each other.

He reached in his pocket and answered the video call, "Hey, Cisco."

His voice sounded higher than usual. He cleared his throat and tried again, "What's up?"

Barry looked over at Caitlin who was straightening up her hair. His attention stirred back to Cisco who was in his vibe suit, "Barry! There's been a prison break at Iron Heights. I need you to get your ass over here, _now_."

"What? What happened?"

Cisco looked frantic as he moved around his apartment looking for something, "No time to explain, shit's getting real hairy, man. I need you to meet us there asap."

Barry nodded, and his jaw clenched, "Got it. See you there."

He turned to Caitlin, but she was already heading to her room, "Give me a second to change."

"No time, you heard Cisco. Let me."

It wasn't like Barry hadn't dressed her using super speed before, but that time was different, and he knew it. Plus he hadn't just confessed to having feelings for her then either.

Caitlin's eyes turned icy blue, "Keep it in your pants, Speedy."

He suppressed a smile as she closed the door behind her.

Using his ring, he propelled his suit and maneuvered it onto his body instantaneously. He heard a desperate knock on Caitlin's door, and he flashed to answer it.

"Caitlin, wake up. Open the door there's an emerge-"

Cisco Ramone blinked once, then twice. He stepped back and looked at the apartment number, making sure he had not gotten it wrong. He stared back at Barry, bewildered.

"Cisco?"

"What the **frack** are you doing here?" The question was rhetorical, but Barry almost answered, "Why aren't you at Iron Heights?"

Barry tried to answer again, but Cisco stopped him once more, "Why are you in Caitlin's apartment?"

He gasped, "Oh my God, you're at Caitlin's apartment! It's almost two in the morning!" Cisco's hands went to his mouth as if to shut himself up. He opened them again and lowered his voice, "You'reatCaitlin'sapartmentandit'salmosttwointhemorning!"

Barry almost couldn't understand Cisco's hysterical whisper-yelling, "This isn't what it looks like."

Cisco's hands shot up, and he pointed aggravatingly at Barry, "Whenever they say that in the movies, it's **always** _ **exactly**_ what it looks like!"

Barry shook his head, "This isn't a movie, Cisco."

Cisco's eyes darted behind Barry, and he caught a glimpse of Killer Frost leaving Cait's bedroom and putting her shirt over her head, "OHMYGOD!"

"Cisco, please…"

He raised his hands and shook them, as if telling Barry to stop talking, "We will talk about this later!"

Barry watched as Cisco continued to talk with his hands, amplifying his surprise, "You go. I'll vibe Frost and myself to the prison."

Barry tried to say something else, but Cisco stopped him once more, "Go!"

He nodded and dashed out of sight, leaving Cisco to stare disappointingly at Frost in silence.

Frost shrugged her shoulders, "Don't look at me, I didn't let him in."

Cisco opened a portal and leered back at her, whispering in an angry tone, "How does that make it any better?!"

Frost rolled her eyes and grabbed his shoulder, preparing to teleport safely into the nation's most dangerous prison.

"I probably would have, though..." She smirked and jumped in.

"I heard that!"


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: Thank you for your feedback and your incredibly kind words. I'm overjoyed by how much some of you like this story. Please be mindful of the rating change, and I apologize to anyone who didnt want to read an M story. I'll try to warn you at the start of any racy chapters moving forward. Enjoy! x_

Barry ran faster than he intended. He tried keeping his mind clear and focused on the prison break, but the one constant in his mind was Caitlin's face. Specifically, how her eyes lit up when he told her he had feelings for her. Was that a mistake? Did he complicate everything with her? With his wife?

Oh God, his wife.

He feels like it's been months since he's seen Iris, rather than a few hours. Jesus, is this the first time he's thought about her since she left the lab today? Since she decided to take a _break_ from him?

This is getting out of hand, he thought. He needs to get to the bottom of his feelings for Caitlin before he does something that ruins both his friendship with her and his marriage with Iris. Luckily, he's running straight toward the meta responsible for all of this.

"Y- -eed to - Desire"

A scrambled voice materialized through Barry's headset.

He stopped running, and put his hand to his ear to amplify the voice once more, "What'd you say?"

"I said," Iris's voice was now crisp and even in his ear, "Find Desire. She's the one that caused the chain reaction."

"Iris?" He was momentarily taken aback and it was evident in his voice.

"What?"

She sounded… normal.

"Nothing," he began, "I didn't expect to hear from you, considering…"

She paused briefly before answering, knowing that the rest of the team could hear them through their shared communicators.

"Why wouldn't you hear from me, Barry? The world doesn't stop needing our help whenever we go through something. We _all_ have responsibilities we need to take seriously and uphold."

The way she said "responsibilities" made Barry's stomach churn.

He was about to say a snide remark, no doubt worsening the situation until he heard Frost interrupt through the intercom, "Hate to come in between the lovely couple, but-"

"Oh, that's rich." Barry could almost hear Iris rolling her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Frost immediately shot back.

"Barry!" Cisco's voice penetrated through the discussion, "Stop standing around and help!"

The intercom went silent and Barry finally took note of his surroundings. Barry was shocked at how his conversation with Iris had made him ignore the sheer chaos unfolding in front of his eyes.

Flashing blue and red lights from CCPD patrol cars tormented the gates of Iron Heights. Cops were chasing down fugitives still in jumpers as they tried vaulting over the gates. He heard dogs barking and gunshots mix together forming a cacophony of sounds bouncing off from all different directions. Tornadoes, lightning, and fire emanated from different criminal metas as they tried outrunning the threat of incarceration.

"What the hell happened?" Barry asked as he ran in circles to enclose various non-metas in a designated pile.

"Desire happened," Cisco said while Frost created an ice barrier around the people Barry gathered.

Frost interjected, "Someone was stupid enough to handle her without power dampening cuffs, and she had a field day."

Barry stood clenching his jaw, "I'm going in to try to stop her from causing any more damage. You sure you're okay here?"

He said that while facing both of his teammates, but he was talking to Frost.

His eyes fell on her sly smirk, but Iris's voice came through the communicator before Frost could say a witty remark, "Of course they're going to be okay, Barry, they're metas. Focus on the objective."

Technically she's not a meta, but fine- he sees her point.

Barry nodded, "Right. Call me if you need backup."

Iris didn't let either respond, however, "Just go already!"

Frost rolled her eyes as she blasted a few prisoner's feet to the ground with ice, trapping them to the ground. Barry watched as she headed toward five inmates at once and it took everything in him from going over to help her. He forced his body to pull away from her direction and he headed inside the prison.

Once inside, he saw Joe stun an inmate with reptilian skin while he was running through and checking the cells. He rushed over to his side when the meta knocked him down and escaped by crawling on the wall and through a vent, "Joe! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Barry. Thanks." He dusted himself off and checked the perimeter, "Hard to imagine a kid caused all of this."

Barry shook his head and pulled his eyebrows together, suddenly feeling a wave of unnerving anger, "Maybe she wouldn't have done this if she had been taken care of rather than have been locked up in a maximum-security prison."

Joe straightened up and transferred his attention to the scarlet speedster, "What are you trying to say, Barry?"

"I mean, if you had kept your promise about taking care of her, we wouldn't be in this mess. She's _fifteen_ , Joe."

Joe squinted his eyes, "Don't you talk to me about breaking promises, son."

Barry made a face akin to confusion, so Joe reiterated, "'Till death do you part, _remember_?"

 _Oh_. He wants to go there, huh?

Without missing a beat, Barry inched closer to his foster dad and asked, "Is that what happened with Francine?"

Joe's facial muscles turned sour and Barry knew he went too far, "Wait, Joe, I didn't…"

He stopped Barry by holding out a hand and turning his face toward an empty hallway, "Do you hear that?"

Barry tried honing in on the sound by ignoring the chaos surrounding him, but he couldn't hear anything. He followed Joe's lead into the passage and a soft whimper finally reached his eardrums.

They both stopped in front of a door labeled 'Supplies' and listened closely. More sniffles and low convulsing gasps could be heard from the other side of the door.

Joe motioned a silent instruction to Barry, informing him of his plans to open the door abruptly. With a nod from the speedster, Joe grabbed the handle, pulled, and pointed his gun at the possible threat.

"Olivia?" Barry asked in confusion once the door was busted wide open.

Inside, the meta who calls herself Desire was crouched on the floor with her arms hugging her knees. Her hair clung close to her face from the tears that were still wet on her cheeks, and her entire body was glowing in a soft pink force.

She looked up and put her hands, now glowing a brighter red than the rest of her, out in front of her frame.

"Don't come any closer!" She sounded desperate.

Barry raised his hands, showing her he's not armed, "We don't want any trouble."

He turned to Joe when her attention was placed on his gun, "Joe, put the gun down."

"Like hell I am." Joe protested, his eyes never leaving the target.

"Trust me," Barry whispered, and Joe reluctantly placed his gun on the floor and mimicked Barry's hand positioning.

"We just want to help." Barry voiced, "Please, let us help you."

Her face softened as she allowed more tears to stream down her cheeks, "I just want to go home."

Barry took a step closer, "We can't do that, Olivia. Not when you're like this."

She sobbed harder and yelled, "Then leave me alone!"

The aura surrounding her body intensified, and they could hear screams coming from nearby.

"We can't do that either," Joe began, "but if you reverse whatever you're doing to everyone, we can help you get out of Iron Heights."

She rubbed a few tears from her eyes and stared at the defenseless cop, "You promise?"

Joe wasn't sure if he could, as it was way above his pay grade. But seeing her in such a venerable position, with her eyes and nose red from crying and desperation in her voice he couldn't stomach, she didn't seem like a criminal. She seemed lost. His heart ached- she reminded him so much of his own daughter, and he couldn't find it in himself to deny her.

"I promise."

She inhaled slightly, and her aura flickered but ultimately stayed the same, "I don't believe you."

"Back up! We need back up!" Barry heard Cisco's frenetic shout through the intercom, "Caitlin's down!"

Barry's body vibrated involuntarily, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed from the inside out. He thought about rushing over immediately, but he knew it would only get worse if he doesn't get Desire to stop whatever she's doing.

"Please, Olivia!" Barry begged, urgency riddling his voice. Olivia flinched from the sudden burst of emotion.

"My friends… If anything happens to them… to _her_ … I don't know what I'd- _Please_!"

Olivia pushed her hair out of her face to get a better look at Central City's most famous speedster, "How can I trust you?"

Barry couldn't think clearly. His only thought was on Caitlin; on keeping her safe. But he knew if he left right now, Desire could end up making everything worse. So, he did the only thing he knew would demonstrate trust.

He took off his mask.

Her eyes widened and she stopped glowing immediately.

"Okay," she whispered, "okay."

"Get her to the lab!" He instructed Joe, before putting on his mask once more and running outside to find Caitlin.

He propelled forward, ignoring the disorder around him and focused on finding his ice queen. He spotted Cisco creating a barrier around himself as he knelt next to an unconscious Caitlin.

"What happened?" He asked when he got close enough to hear over the police sirens.

"I don't know!" Replied STAR Lab's mechanical engineer, "She was like this when I found her!"

Cisco let down the barrier to allow Barry's admission. Barry pulled Caitlin to his chest and brushed a hair from her face. This wasn't the first time he's seen her like this, but it's never gotten easier. Not once.

"I should take her to STAR Labs." He thought out loud.

"No," Iris interjected through the communicator, "They still need your help to return the prisoners safely to their cells."

Barry embraced Caitlin, afraid she'd disappear, "I can't just leave her again."

Cisco grabbed Barry's shoulder, "She's right. You stay, I'll vibe us out of here."

Barry looked back at Caitlin's unconscious face. Her body was limp against his chest, and she seemed so fragile in his arms that it terrified him.

"Barry, let her go," Iris commanded.

He shook his head, holding her closer and mentally taking note of how perfect she seemed to fit inside his arms.

Cisco squeezed his shoulder, "I got her. Don't worry."

Barry sighed once before handing her off to Cisco. With a nod, Cisco made a portal to STAR Labs and got ready to enter with Caitlin in his arms.

He stared at the portal, conflicted as to whether he should just go with them but knowing better. He groaned and gazed back at Caitlin, trusting Cisco would take care of her. As he watched them jolt through the opening, however, he failed to notice Iris on the other side with a despondent look on her face.

"How is she?" Iris asked while Cisco moved around the medical chambers of STAR Labs, sifting through different medicinal bags and looking them up on his phone's search engine.

Caitlin was laying on the bed with a health monitor hooked up to her index finger. Her hair was somehow still perfectly curled and her lips seemed impossibly red. Iris couldn't help but observe she looked beautiful.

"The Anatomy course I took in college tells me she's definitely probably not pregnant. Other than that, no clue."

He squinted at the IV bag in his hands, trying to spell out the long medical term into Google, "Man, we should really get another doctor here."

"Anybody home?"

Iris turned to the entrance and saw her father with a young girl in his arms.

"Dad? What are you doing here? Who is that?"

Joe made his way to the medical unit, "She's the meta responsible for tonight's prison break. She passed out on the way over here."

He stood in the entryway and Cisco's head turned toward Joe, "Oh no, we are short a doctor _and_ a bed, she can't be here right now."

"Barry said-"

"You talked to Barry?" His daughter interrupted.

"Well, sort of." Her father indicated, suddenly feeling how heavy the meta was in his arms.

"What did he say?"

Before Joe could explain, a bolt of lightning raced through the room and the City's resident staple superhero appeared with his mask already freed from his face.

Barry rushed to Caitlin's side and grabbed her arm, "How is she?"

"There are way too many non-doctors here!" Exclaimed Cisco, feeling dejected and overwhelmed.

Barry looked over the monitor and took note of her vitals. Caitlin had taught him a few medical techniques he should follow in case she wasn't around and he was in a pinch, but he never realized he would ever use it on her. He took note of her blood pressure, thinking it's a bit too high for his liking, but she was overall okay.

"We need a bed for Desire," Joe said, and Barry finally noticed the unconscious meta in his arms.

He stood up from Caitlin's side and spotted his wife's disapproving look. He let go of Caitlin's hand, knowing exactly how it looked.

"There's a spare bed in the training room," Barry informed the team, remembering the last time Caitlin gave him a physical there.

"I'll go grab it." Cisco volunteered, wanting any excuse to be as far away from anyone with the last name Allen or West as possible.

"I'll, uh, join you." Joe followed shortly after being exposed to the thick air of awkwardness.

Barry turned back to Caitlin and sat down on the chair positioned next to the bed. His eyes wouldn't budge from the monitor.

"Do you know what happened to her?" Barry asked, breaking the silence.

Iris moved to the farthest corner of the room, "Not really. I wasn't paying much attention to her."

"Huh."

Barry's eyes went cold. Maybe he was just looking for someone to blame, but he could tell his anger was about to get the better of him.

He knew something like this would happen the moment he saw her run off to face five inmates. Although she was powerful and fearless, she was outnumbered and it wasn't safe.

"What?" Iris asked, placing a hand on her hip.

Barry shook his head, deciding not to engage.

Iris sighed, and after a while in silence offered, "Maybe it's best if you just went home."

His eyes left the monitor and he stared at his wife.

"You haven't slept in three days, Barry. Go home. Get some rest."

He noticed the bags under her eyes, knowing his were much deeper and evident in his pale skin. He sank down lower to the chair, "I think I'll stay here for tonight. Monitor everything."

She nodded slightly and looked away. After another moment of silence, she asked, "You're not still… affected, are you?"

Iris tried choosing her words carefully, but no matter what combination she thought of she felt it would still be awkward.

Barry lifted his head, resting it on the back of the chair, and stared at the ceiling. He wasn't sure what was better, being affected and near Caitlin, or not being affected and still having these intense feelings.

"Maybe." He answered as honestly as he could.

She gave another quick nod and headed toward the door. She paused before leaving entirely and directed, "Tell Dad I left without him."

He lifted his hand to motion 'goodbye' and kept it over his mouth. He rubbed his eyes, feeling the exhaustion from days of non-stop activity catch up to him.

He pulled the chair closer to Caitlin's side. He convinced himself it was just because he wanted to hear the monitor better, in case something went awry.

He held Caitlin's hand once more, enjoying the cool feeling on the wedges of his fingers. He closed his eyes, and let the soft hums from the heart monitor lull him to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Sometimes great possibilities are right in front of us but we don't see them because we choose not to.

Time to move on. Find someone new to be crazy about.

We are quite the pair, Mr. Allen.

Wow. I haven't seen anyone make her that angry since Ronnie.

Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?

 _But oh, those summer nights…_

It was very bright. Too bright for Barry to stay in bed, he thought. He rolled over, pulling a pillow over his eyes and tried to let sleep befall him once more but to no avail. Instead, he heard bacon sizzling on the pan, which got him to sit up somewhat groggily. Once he smelled the glorious aroma, however, his eyes finally opened.

He was sitting on a California King bed with white sheets disheveled around him. The large floor to ceiling windows allowed enough light to illuminate the entire room. He saw various pillows littered across the floor, no doubt decorations to make the bed with. He ignored them and decided to follow the smell to the kitchen, careful not to step on any clothes as he made his way down the stairs and toward the sounds of sizzling and light humming.

Barry stood on the doorway connecting the dining room to the kitchen, taking in the sight in front of him. Across the kitchen island, with her back turned to him, Caitlin was shuffling a spatula across the skillet and mixing ingredients to create an omelet.

He smiled to himself and decided to come up behind her, surprising her with a kiss on her cheek.

She jumped, "Barry!"

He hugged her tighter, "Good morning."

His face was already deep in her neck, leaving kisses and taking in her smell that was somehow more enticing than her cooking.

She laughed and turned around, lightly smacking him on the chest. This caused Barry to shift away slightly.

"No! You ruined the surprised!" She whined playfully. Her smile never leaving her lips.

His smile grew in response, "What surprise?"

She went to say something, but Barry took the opportunity to kiss her on the lips, reveling in how she tasting like blueberries.

Her hands made their way to the back of his neck and she pulled away from the kiss, "I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed."

He grinned and attacked her collarbone, his grip was tightening on her waist.

"You're too sweet, babe." He murmured.

Barry passed the tip of his tongue from the base of her neck to the spot below her ear, sending a shiver down Caitlin's spine.

His voice lowered as he whispered into her ear, "What about dessert in the kitchen, instead?"

She pulled the inner parts of her eyebrows upward, and giggled while pushing him away once more, "I'm serious! I wanted to make today special!"

Barry's head tilted to the right, and he gave her a lopsided grin that caused her heart to swell.

"What's so special about today?" He finally asked.

"Well," she began and turned away from his grip.

Her back was turned once more away from him as she grabbed a plate and took the omelet from the pan. She placed a couple blueberry pancakes drizzled in syrup next to the beaten eggs and topped it off with bacon. She turned around and presented the speedster with her creation.

"The omelet's a little burnt, but that's mostly your fault."

He smiled and held the plate while giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

She continued, "Happy Father's Day."

Her eyes were bright as she chuckled.

Barry's eyes enlarged in response, and if it wasn't for his super speed, the dish Caitlin made would have fallen on the floor. Barry placed the plate on the island, while his eyes never left Caitlin's.

"You're not…" His voice was so low it was a whisper.

She smiled harder and nodded. Her hands lowered to her stomach and she rubbed her flat abdomen protectively.

"I am."

Barry could feel his eyes tearing up as his hands covered his mouth. He placed one hesitantly over hers, as if to feel a phantom kick but knowing it was too early to tell.

He smiled along with her as he picked her up and spun her around their shared kitchen, "I'm gonna be a dad?"

She laughed when he finally placed her down, "You're going to be a dad!"

He hugged her close to him. The tightness in his chest contracting. He felt so happy he could burst. Barry wanted to run to the ends of the world with all this pent-up energy he suddenly felt. He couldn't believe he could be this lucky.

"Oh wow!" He exclaimed and pecked her on the lips, "We're going to be parents!"

His mouth started to hurt from all the smiling, but he didn't care about that. He was far too in love and endlessly excited.

She held his face and touched her forehead to his, basking in the beautiful moment they were sharing. She wiped a single tear from Barry's cheek, feeling one of her own fall as well- unable to contain her own happiness.

"How far along are you?" He asked, his smile somehow enlarging.

She kissed him lightly on the lips, "If I can figure out the amplitude and wavelength of the frequency she's producing, there may be a way to counteract it and somehow neutralize its properties."

His smile dipped, "What was that?"

"Something able to generate a noise could work if its pitch is high or low enough."

He stepped back, "Caitlin?"

"Caitlin?"

His vision turned dark and the apparition of the bright kitchen had faded away into nothing. His eyes fluttered open and he discerned he was laying on the medical bed in STAR Labs with Cisco by his side, holding a phone to his ear.

"He's awake!" He said to the other person on the line, a bright grin on his face, "Yeah, yeah! I- I gotta go. I'll call you in a bit."

Click.

"Good to have you back, bud!" Cisco answered, now referring to his friend and putting away his cell.

He patted Barry on the shoulder, "You've been asleep for quite a bit."

"Cisco?" Barry asked, still feeling groggy from waking up.

He was confused and disoriented. It's been a while since he's dreamt, and even longer since he's had one so vivid. He was almost… disappointed, he thought, that the scene was only a dream.

"That's my name," Cisco responded, "Glad to hear your cat nap wasn't catatonic."

Cisco chuckled at his own joke and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm…" Barry rubbed his head with his hands, trying to alleviant the slight headache he was feeling. His hand felt unusually cold from the low temperatures of the lab which caused him to jolt up unexpectedly, "Caitlin!"

"Spoke too soon," Cisco whispered go himself, then addressed his friend, "No, you're Barry. Ba-rr-y."

He elongated the syllables of Barry's name.

Barry got up from the bed and looked around the room, "No, I meant _where's_ Caitlin? Is she okay?"

"Oh," Cisco answered, "Yeah, she's fine. I was with her on the phone just now, actually. She was awake by the time I came to check on you last night."

"What happened to her?"

Cisco grabbed a water bottle from their mini fridge and offered it to Barry, "She was ambushed by a blizzard of cold metas. She couldn't absorb any heat from the environment and used up too much of her own to fight back."

Barry felt a lump in his throat. Cisco noticed the worry lines on Barry's forehead, so he assured him as best he could, "She's fine, really. She took most of your heat, actually. Since, you, you know, held her hand when you fell asleep beside her."

Cisco cleared his throat and thought about grabbing a drink of water for himself, "You may have saved her life."

Barry took a gulp of water and nodded back, "So, where is she now?"

Cisco looked down at Barry's ring finger, thinking to himself how his wedded friend should probably be more concerned about his wife, "Training center with Desire. She's trying to pinpoint Olivia's powers to counteract them and fix everyone who's still affected."

Barry nodded and headed toward the door, leaving the plastic bottle on one of their metal counters. Cisco followed close behind and stopped him when they reached the control center.

"Where are you going?"

"Training center." Obviously.

Cisco reached out and grabbed his hand, forcing Barry to turn around and face him.

"You should probably stay away from Caitlin for a while," he warned.

Barry scoffed and turned away, "I'm not a child, Cisco, I can control myself."

"Can you?" He challenged, which caused Barry to turn toward him once more, "Because the last time I saw you and Caitlin alone together it was two in the morning in her apartment."

Barry sighed and crossed his arms, "Nothing happened, Cisco, I swear."

"Maybe," he agreed, "But maybe I stopped it from going any further."

His friend was silent, and Cisco asked, "Are you really going to stand there and tell me if I didn't interrupt, _nothing_ would have happened?"

Barry stared at his genius friend, knowing that he didn't need his powers to know what was going on in his head. He sighed once more and sat down on the spinning chair Iris liked to use when overlooking crime in the city.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Cisco." He finally admitted.

Cisco ran his fingers through his hair and decided to pull up a chair nearby. He looked over at Barry who had his face buried in his hands and his shoulders were slumped in defeat.

"We're working on it," he assured him, "Caitlin's testing out Olivia's abilities and I'm trying to create a device to make you all better. You'll see, in a few years this will all be an incredibly uncomfortable story to tell our kids someday."

Barry pushed air out of his lungs in an attempt to laugh but finding it hollow, "No, Cisco. I mean, I have all of these _feelings._ For Caitlin- for us…"

"Let me stop you right there," Cisco's hands were already in the air, creating a metaphorical barrier between them, "I really don't want to know about my best friend's sexual fantasies about my other best friend."

"That's just it, though, it's not all sexual," Barry confessed, "I've always cared for Caitlin. I even thought about being more than friends, but I stopped it from going any further because I didn't want to mess up our relationship."

Cisco remained silent, worried about how this conversation would go.

"But then Ronnie came back for a while, and then Iris found out about my powers and started to take an interest in me..."

Barry's thoughts came rushing at him faster than he could relay them. He figured the best way to explain himself would be unfiltered.

Before he could think otherwise, he confessed, "Lately, I've been thinking about what could have been, and whether I made a terrible mistake."

His shoulders relaxed and he spun around on the chair slightly, "I don't know what to do, Cisco."

"Barry," his tone was more than hesitant, "Be really careful about what you're implying. This would'nt just be some breakup with your girlfriend of two weeks. You're married- to a woman that you _grew up with_. That you share a _family_ with."

"I know, I know." He thought out loud, "But what if I was wrong before? What if I was so obsessed with thinking I was meant to be with Iris, that I ignored the one woman who could understand me?"

To this, Cisco made his way to Barry. He knelt next to him so they could be at eye contact level with each other. He firmly grabbed a hold of his shoulders and gave a tight squeeze, forcing Barry to look into his eyes.

" _Iris_ understands you."

Barry smiled slightly and tapped him back as a form of gratitude.

"Not really," he answered back, "Not the way Caitlin does."

Barry saw Cisco's eyes roll to the back of his head. His head shook back and forth abruptly and his hands went to his head as if mending a headache.

Barry took a hold of his friend.

"Are you okay?" He asked, "Did you just vibe?"

Cisco held on to Barry, his head was pulsing from the aftershock of the pain. He was grateful Barry was so close, as he could hardly stand on his own.

"I did," he finally said once he collected himself, "And we need to get you back to normal as soon as possible."


	6. Chapter 6

"What did you see?" Barry asked, keeping Cisco upright.

Cisco pushed him away, finally finding his balance. With his hand still clutching his head, he started moving away from Barry and toward the corridor ignoring Barry's question.

Barry followed close behind, feeling a slight wind on his cheek from how fast they were both walking.

"What did you see?" He asked again, more forceful this time.

Cisco kept his pace even, "Nothing good, Barry. Nothing good."

Barry used his speed to get in front of Cisco, forcing him to stop fully when Cisco collided with his chest.

"Tell me." He demanded, his eyes were powerful and unwavering.

Cisco's eyebrows pulled together into an angry glare, "You don't want to know."

He tried maneuvering past Barry by twirling around him, but Barry grabbed a hold of his arm and he squeezed tight, "Please, Cisco."

The shorter brunette shook his head slightly, "You and Caitlin… you were… when Iris was…"

He groaned and walked past Barry, leaving the speedster more confused than before.

"You aren't making any sense, Cisco." He asserted then paused, feet planted firmly in place, "Did you say 'Caitlin?' What happens to Caitlin?"

Barry couldn't see the way Cisco rolled his eyes, "Where are you going anyway?"

With a huff, Cisco rounded a corner and spoke loud enough so that Barry could still hear him from where he stood, "To see _your wife_. Remember you have one of those?"

Barry didn't understand why Cisco was angry with him, but he bet it had something to do with the vision. Still, he couldn't explain why Cisco was so adamant about keeping it to himself. Surely, if it was _that_ bad Cisco would want him to know so they could prevent it from happening. Something deeper must be going on that Barry just wasn't seeing. But what?

He pursed his lips together and his hands found their way to his hips. A frustrated sigh escaped his lungs. He decided to follow Cisco and find out exactly what was on his metahuman mind, but not before dropping by his favorite physician along the way.

* * *

Caitlin typed some numbers down on the excel sheet plastered on the face of her portable tablet. She glanced back down at the various mice in the lab, noting how each reacted to different levels of Desire's powers. The skin on her forehead folded as she noticed that nearly all had copulated, and more than half were back to normal seemingly on their own.

"Did you figure out what's wrong with me, doc?" Olivia asked, still hooked up to a device that reads neurotransmitter activity which Caitlin could monitor from her tablet.

Caitlin glanced up, "Nothing's _wrong_ with you, per se. I just can't get a read on your powers."

The two ladies had been working since the early hours of the morning. Caitlin had designed various tests that Olivia was bound by while hooked on to different devices, testing her mental and physical state. Yet all of those hours of work had only given them a small bit of information. Caitlin discovered Olivia's powers ranged from environmental to the individual. The environmental effects were easy to test, as any living being affected immediately got back to their senses once Olivia had stopped emanating mental frequencies that target the dopamine receptors in the brain. Anyone within 50 yards suddenly stopped feeling an impulse to act. Which was good news, since most people that were affected by her powers were hit by a mass environmental force and have since been back to normal.

Once she targets someone, however... That's where Caitlin is having the most trouble understanding.

"Wish I could be more help," Olivia stated, shifting her feet around and playing footsie with the air. Having her like this, dressed in a STAR Labs sweatshirt and a low ponytail, Caitlin could really see just how young she was. Her heart twinged over how much pain she must've been through and how unfair life seemed to be to some.

Caitlin lowered her tablet and placed it on top of one of the clear cages, "Maybe you can, if you tell me a little more about yourself."

Olivia lowered her gaze and bit her lip. Caitlin knew how reserved a teenager could be, so she walked beside her and gave her a soft smile.

"What's the harm in opening up just a little?" Caitlin asked, hoping to get through to her.

The teenager sighed and played with her fingers, unable to sit still, "What do you want to know?"

She reassured her with a small smile, "When did you first notice you had powers?"

Dr. Snow gave her the best bedside manner she could manage and listened as Olivia recounted her origins with a sympathetic ear. She tried not to show too much emotion as the young girl recounted how her parents had often fought at home, which led to many bouts of violence from both. Olivia told her about the countless affairs that both her parents would have, but how they refused to divorce because they were bound by the duty to uphold their religious union. Of course, that changed the night of the particle accelerator explosion, Caitlin surmised.

"It was a particularly bad fight," she stated, trying to emotionally distance herself from her own memories, "they were in the kitchen, throwing pans at each other when my mom grabbed a knife."

Her breath staggered, and Caitlin padded her shoulder as a sign of support.

"Nothing happened," Olivia quickly added, "but I remembered thinking how they would both be so much happier if they didn't need to uphold their beliefs. How they should give in to what they actually want, and just split up for good."

She took a beat, then continued, "Then this light came out of me, and next thing I knew they dropped their weapons and asked each other for a divorce."

Caitlin nodded, but Olivia wasn't finished, "They wouldn't shut up about it though. For months, that's all they would talk about; all they would say to anyone that would listen until they finally did it. Then it was like it never happened. Like someone flipped a switch. They signed those papers, then boom. Like neither of them existed to each other."

Cailin squinted her eyes, "Wait."

She left Olivia's side, breaking the sensitive moment, and wandered back to the mice. She grabbed her tablet and glanced back and forth between the rodents and the spreadsheet; the gears in her head turning steadfast.

"You said they went back to normal when they got divorced, right?" Her eyes lit up, as they often did when she was at the cusp of solving a particularly difficult problem.

"I guess so."

Caitlin double checked the numbers with the corresponding mice and stared back at Olivia, "I think I may have figured out a solution."

Her head tilted to the right and she continued to think out loud, "Though I'm not sure how helpful it may be."

"Is that right?"

Olivia and Caitlin's attention turned to the door, where Barry Allen was leaning on the frame, staring back out at his doctor with his hands crossed and an involuntary grin meant just for her. His eyes unintentionally drifted to her stomach, remembering his dream and causing the butterflies in his stomach to do somersaults in the air.

He had been standing there long enough to see her thinking process, his chest swelled with pride at how insanely bright Caitlin was. How unfair it must be, he thought, that she was even smarter than she was beautiful. Other women don't stand a chance.

He gulped, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt when Iris's face flashed in his mind. This is _not_ good. Iris deserves so much better... He blinked once and his vision sharpened to how plump Caitlin's lips looked, even from far away. Any thought of his wife vanished completely.

Caitlin's posture straightened and her eyes widened, not expecting to see him so soon after waking up quite actually under him. Well, under his arm, that is. She thought back to how deliciously warm he was as they held hands, and how glossy his hair looked in the light of the morning sun. Her memories faded when she noticed how dark his green eyes seemed as he scanned her up and down. And, Jesus, did he just bite his lip?

She felt her face get hot, "Barry!"

"Barry?" Olivia asked, shifting her gaze between the two heroes. Her eyebrow cocked up at how intently they were both staring at each other, and a sly smirk crept its way to her mouth.

Caitlin's attention turned back to Olivia, suddenly remembering her presence and wondering when the hell she even forgot she was there. Barry's eyes remained focused on Caitlin, however.

"Yes, Barry!" She told Olivia, "Barry is..."

Her voice trailed off, trying to think of a believable explanation for his presence but having trouble thinking of anything other than how she could feel his eyes on her ass, "He is..."

"The Flash," he spoke up once more, leaning away from the frame and sped to both women, suddenly appearing next to Olivia.

"Barry, _what the hell_?" Caitlin's face contorted to a mixture of anger and shock, "You can't just give out your identity to a meta who was _literally_ incarcerated a few hours ago!"

Caitlin stuck out a hand in Olivia's direction, "No offense."

Olivia's smirk grew.

"She sort of already knew."

Her eyes widened once more and her eyebrows were higher than ever before, "How could she have possibly known _that_?"

"I took off my mask in front of her?" His boyish grin was, although cute, completely futile.

Caitlin's mouth dropped open.

"What kind of idiotic-" She interrupted herself, "Do you know how _dangerous_ that was? How _lucky_ you got that Olivia is a halfway decent meta and that nobody else saw?"

She ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm herself down, "This isn't your first meta encounter, Barry. Stop making rookie mistakes that could get you..."

She didn't even want to finish the end of that sentence. Turns out, she didn't have to.

"I know," Barry began, making his way to her.

He held the sides of her shoulder and rubbed his thumbs up and down in a soothing motion. He bent his head down so he could get a better view of her eyes, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I'm okay. We're okay."

He knew exactly how stupid it was to take off his mask but, the truth is, if he had to go back he'd do it just the same. It was the fastest way he could think of to save her, and that was his sole priority. Admitting that to her somehow felt like a bad idea.

"So," Olivia sprang, causing both Barry and Caitlin to jolt ever so slightly and break away from their almost hug, "How long have you two been a thing?"

Caitlin's eyes darted from Barry's piercing gaze to Olivia's half-baked smile, "Oh, we're not-"

"-together," Barry finished.

Olivia's eyes danced back and forth mischievously between the two, "Right."

She didn't sound convinced. Their clothes matched and they were finishing each other's sentences. How oblivious did they think she was? Or maybe it's them who were oblivious?

"How long have you _wanted_ to be a thing?" Her eyes flashed bright red and her smirk had widened into a wicked smile, thinking she ought to do them a favor.

Caitlin's hands flicked upward and she pushed Barry away from her person. She increased the distance by making her way to Olivia, with her hands still up in the air, "No, no, no. There will be _none_ of that."

She felt her heart pounding in her chest, and she was almost positive that the two could hear it from how loud it rang in her ears. Olivia and Barry busted out laughing; Barry was particularly amused with how adorable Caitlin looked pacing around Olivia- but he'd never admit that. Caitlin smiled slowly, feeling relieved after realizing Olivia was joking and soon joined in the laughter.

"Caitlin," Iris walked into the room, her eyes plastered on her phone as she furiously typed away, "Any updates on Desire?"

Cisco followed behind her, looking around the room as the sounds of laughter died down. His eyes met Barry's and he shook his head, disappointed to see his friend with Caitlin after explicitly telling him it was a bad idea. It gave him flashbacks to his vision- seeing Caitlin and Barry entangled in each other as they shifted from different surfaces of the med bay and enraged in a passionate riot between themselves. He curled his hand in a tight fist remembering the way Iris was strapped into a chair, tears streaming down her face while being forced to watch her husband's infidelity first hand.

He couldn't even imagine his premonition actually happening, let alone explaining how it would come to be.

How could he bring himself to tell them _that_? He couldn't even tell Iris. It's not like he didn't try. She just stood there watching him struggle as he tried to string more than three words together. He was lucky enough she wanted to check on Caitlin's process anyway, giving him more time to think of how to tell everyone as hey made their way over to where they knew she was working.

If he was having trouble explaining his vision to Iris, telling his best friends seemed impossible. Seeing Caitlin's personality slowly morph into someone else's had been bad enough to adjust to, but watching Barry act so _unBarry-_ like was another thing entirely. He felt like he was losing his friends, and they didn't even care to notice.

Caitlin cleared her throat and grabbed her tablet, "Actually, yeah."

Iris's eyes glanced up from her phone and finally noticed Barry. She placed her phone in her pocket and crossed her arms, forcing all of her attention on the geneticist. Caitlin kept everyone up to speed about the differences she noticed in Olivia's powers, making sure to explain the different effects she could have on others and comparing that to how her powers affected the mice.

"It's when she's focused her powers on the individual... That's harder to explain," she proceeded, "But, according to these numbers, the neurological pathways in the mice that free them of their inhibitions are strongly activated until their limbic system is satiated. After that, their behavior rapidly changes to match the control group."

"And that means?"

Caitlin sighed, feeling dejected about how nobody else seemed to care about the science of it all, "Effects go away once they complete their desires."

Iris's head perked up, a smile forming on her face as she looked to her husband, "That's good news then right? It means Barry's no longer affected?"

Nobody met her eyes, so she continued, "I mean, he's already kissed Caitlin. What more could he want to do?"

Her smile faltered when nobody said a thing. The realization of what Barry wants to do with one of her closest females friends finally hit her. Her blood boiled.

Barry spoke up first, "But there's gotta be another way. There has to be, right? We'll find another way."

Caitlin couldn't look at anything other than the floor. Iris was focused on the dead space in front of her, only seeing red.

Cisco, seizing the opportunity to de-escalate the situation, vocalized, "Right, exactly. We will. I've already drawn up some sketches for different devices. It won't come to _that_."

Iris turned around, not wanting to look at any other member of Team Flash anymore and she headed toward the door.

"Get to it, then," she spat.

"Iris, wait," Barry pleaded, but Iris gathered speed.

He knew he had to follow her this time, and try to say something to make it better. Hell, he just needed to get away from Caitlin at this point. It had been so long since he's had a real conversation with his wife, and he knew he needed to explain the feelings he had for Caitlin before these secrets ruined their marriage forever. But he was so scared- scared nothing could save them now. Scared he didn't _want_ to save it. Maybe he was just prolonging the inevitable.

His feet moved on their own, following Iris out to the hallway.

"Yikes."

Cisco and Caitlin turned to Olivia, both remembering she was there with them.

She gave them a lighthearted smile, "At least it can't get any worse."

A shallow breath escaped Cisco's mouth, "Actually..."

His voice drifted off, and he turned to Caitlin, "We need to talk."

He had to tell _someone_ about his vision before it was too late, and Caitlin was the only one who seemed to have her head on straight.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Hi everyone! I'm so happy so many of you are enjoying this series, especially those who take their time to review it! I love reading some of your theories for where this story is going. Some of you are pretty spot on ;) I'm writing to let you know I won't be updating as frequently as before. Classes started back up and that's my main priority. However, there are about three or four more chapters to this story (we're getting near the end!) so the wait shouldn't be too bad. Only thing is, the chapters will be shorter than what you're used to- sorry about that. Anyway, thanks for sticking around! x

* * *

"Will you slow down?"

The irony of Barry's request was not lost on Iris; she just didn't care to listen.

"Iris, please, we need to talk," Barry pleaded, matching her pace easily.

Iris rolled her eyes and maintained her stare fixed ahead of her, "There's nothing to talk about, Barry."

Barry reached for her hand, stopping her from progressing. She swung it out of his hold, not enjoying his touch as she normally would.

"I really think we do," Barry commented, raising his hand and using her disgust with him as evidence.

She crossed her arms.

"Fine, let's talk," she agreed, "Let's talk about how my husband's chasing some skirt in the office!"

Barry was taken aback momentarily, "Caitlin's not some skirt."

She screeched and bitterly laughed in disbelief.

"Regardless of what I've done or how I'm behaving," Barry continued, "You shouldn't disrespect her like that."

Her eyes were wide with mistrust as she shook her head, not wanting to hear her husband defend a woman he wants to sleep with.

" _I'm_ your wife, Barry! Me! Not her!" She yelled.

Barry looked behind him at the still visible opening from where they left their friends, "Keep your voice down, please."

"Keep my-?" She laughed, "Why? So your _mistress_ won't hear me?"

She yelled louder than before, so Barry took her hand and moved her farther from the training center.

"Let go of me!" She demanded.

He released her hand and said in a much softer voice, "She's not my mistress."

"No, you just want her to be!" She accused, venom dripping in her voice.

He stared at her fiery eyes and the way her eyebrows furrowed and dug down close to her lashes. He felt a tightness in his chest he'd often feel whenever they would argue and thought back to all those times he'd released the anger when he stared at his wife's face- unable to keep fighting. He wanted so badly to want that. But instead, the woman in front of him infuriated him, and he no longer wanted to be placated by his obsession.

"And if I do?" He yelled back, causing Iris's facial features to soften immediately, "At least she makes me feel something. At least she supports me!"

"What are you talking about? I support you."

"Do you?" He challenged, "Because lately, all you've been doing is criticizing me."

She shook her head and turned around, "This isn't you talking. It's Desire."

Barry used his speed to get in front of her, "No, actually. This _is_ me. You're just upset I'm not who you want me to be."

"And who do I want you to be, Barry?"

"Eddie."

His voice was a whisper, almost like he just realized it himself.

They both paused, and let the weight of Eddie's name hang in the air around them. It had been so long since either of them heard that name; the main taboo in their relationship.

"I don't-"

Iris began to explain, but Barry interrupted, "He was normal, good to you. He was a leader in the field, but in the relationship, you always had the last word. You were always too good for him, and he knew it, so he did everything to make you happy."

Iris closed her mouth and looked away.

"I'm not Eddie. I'm not going to be manipulated like him. Not anymore."

He saw a glimpse of sadness in her eyes before she turned around and balled her fist, "Just fuck her already, then!"

Barry's heart skipped a beat, "What?"

"Caitlin is making you like this. I want it to stop," She expressed, then whispered, "I want my husband back."

He took a deep breath and touched her shoulder, making her turn around and placed her arms around his torso. He hesitated before hugging her back.

Iris dug her face into his shirt, "I've missed you."

He stared at the floor, lost in thought. Thinking about the time he spent in the speed force and how on some days (Months? Years?), the only thing that would keep him sane was thinking about Iris's embrace. But as her arms tightened, clutching her close to him, he felt hollow.

She loosened her hold and gave him a smile before leaning in to kiss him.

He turned his face away.

"I won't be manipulated, Iris," he emphasized, breaking the hug.

Her hands found their way to his chest and she pressed hard, causing him to step back. Her rage built up again.

"Don't you see that's what Caitlin is doing to you? _She's_ manipulating you!"

Barry shook his head and he looked down at his wedding band. His other hand toyed with how loose it fit around his finger, "This isn't about her."

He knows it's easy to assume it was. Lately, being around her made him think and feel all sorts of things. But he suspected that whatever is happening with Caitlin isn't the cause of his broken marriage.

Iris's hands went to her hips as she stared at his anxious hands, "Then what is this about, Barry? Because as far as I'm concerned we were doing fine before Desire got inside your head."

When he stared into her eyes, Barry thought back to various moments in their relationship. How reluctant she was to get him back from the speed force. How angry she got that he left her to save the world. Her self-proclaimed leadership over the team and himself. The cold way she told him how she hated the book his mother read to him as a child, implying his mother wasn't there for him out of choice.

He thought of Savitar- the person she made him become.

He saw the way some frown lines were deeply embedded on her skin, and how he's seen them more and more often lately. He thought of how they haven't laughed together in a long time. How they argue, how they communicate…

They brought out the worst in each other.

"We weren't doing fine," he stated as he removed the band and gazed at it for a moment.

He grabbed her hand and placed the band in her palm.

"We weren't," he repeated and began walking backward, ignoring Iris's demands for a further explanation. He turned and felt a sharp pain in his chest.

This wasn't easy, but it was necessary.


	8. Chapter 8

Warning: This chapter is one of the reasons why this story is rated M... Expect a lot of cursing and adult situations.

* * *

[The Next Day]

* * *

Caitlin hadn't seen Barry or Iris since their debacle at the training center yesterday, and if she's honest with herself, she's glad. Cisco had taken her aside and told her about a vibe he had that showcased herself locking lips (among _other_ things) with the scarlet speedster himself. She was mortified when he told her the details that involved Mrs. West-Allen, but also ashamed with herself at how a part of herself was mildly excited.

"It won't happen!" She remembered promising him.

"It can't," He had agreed, and they went over possible theories of reversing Desire's effects on him.

They managed reached a pretty exhaustive list of issues and covered a lot of ground, but Caitlin still had to conduct other tests. While Cisco worked on different frequency editors with Desire, trying to find a wavelength like those she conducts that alter a person's neurological behavior patterns, Caitlin had extracted a liquid version of the mist Desire emanated when she conducted her environmental powers.

Today, she was finally able to play with the "Liquid Courage." A fun little name that would make even Cisco proud, she thought.

She was currently looking through a microscope of one of the test tube's contents to break down the chemicals in the liquid to see if there was a special compound that she may reverse engineer to their advantage.

Her mind wandered back to the day prior and the conversation she had with Cisco in between their theorizing. Cisco was writing down a formula she wasn't familiar with. Meanwhile, she researched methods of entrapping Desire's mist in a manner safe enough to cool it down to liquid form when Cisco suddenly stopped writing.

"I'm sorry," He said, making her look up from her notes, "I just realized I never asked you how you were, considering…"

His voice drifted off, not needing to finish his sentence.

"I'm fine." She had said, robotically. Her attention deliberately hyper-focused on jotting down more notes.

He was quiet for a bit, making Caitlin believe he had dropped it already, but he was only just thinking.

"It's okay if you aren't."

She stopped writing, but her intense stare didn't shift from her papers.

 _I'm fine_ , she wanted to say. But her mouth felt dry.

Cisco fidgeted with his pencil, "I know we never really talked about it, but I've seen the way you look at him."

He didn't need to say who he was referring to.

"When you think no one's paying attention," he finished.

Caitlin stared back at him, wonder in her eyes, asking silently how he could have any possible idea of what she had felt for Barry.

In response, Cisco motioned to his head, as if offering an explanation, "Vibes... Visions…"

Then in a much lower tone, he whispered, "Common sense…"

She snapped, unwillingly, "I said I'm fine, Cisco. _Drop it_."

Her eyes flashed ice blue.

He gripped his pencil tighter, "I'm just trying to help, Caitlin."

"Well don't," she jeered while gathering her supplies, and promptly leaving him by himself.

...

She took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on her current task.

Stop _thinking_ about it.

She bit her lip.

Leaving like that made her feel awful. She hated fighting with her friends, and looking back she knows Cisco meant well. But she just couldn't talk about it- the situation… her feelings…

She couldn't bring herself to talk about _any_ of it, because that would make it all real.

And she had to remind herself it wasn't.

This wasn't Barry. He doesn't want her. Not _really_.

Right now, all she is to him is a prime sexual actor that excites his testosterone levels. It's biology. Plain and simple.

If she had told Cisco what that first kiss made her feel, what it made her _think._ What his confession of past feelings did to her mind and heart…

Well, that would certainly complicate things.

She took note of how certain types of bacteria within the droplets reacted when introduced with possible beta or alpha blockers, but nothing changed. She might as well have been dropping water onto the samples.

Caitlin sighed and shut her eyes, but they were quickly opened when she heard knocking on the glass walls of her lab.

She turned toward the entrance, and her eyes widened.

"Hey," She uttered, hesitation dripping in her voice.

* * *

He found himself running again. At first, he ran around the city aimlessly, but it always felt too short. Then he kept running, across mountains and oceans. He ran until stranger's conversations were a conjunction of sounds meddling together to form sentences he couldn't understand.

There was a hole in Barry's chest filled with flames. And the only thing that made him fill it, albeit momentarily, was feeling the wind in his face and power coursing through his being.

The farther he ran, the more he could probe the situation he put himself in.

He gave her back the ring. His _wedding_ ring!

What was he thinking?

Was his marriage over? Did he want it to be over? _Should it_ be over?

His mind was racing as fast as he was. Maybe faster. He thought about everything he told her.

It was all true, he knew that. He'd been thinking that far before he was affected by Olivia's powers, but he always buried it deep inside his subconscious. He never wanted to admit it. The love that universe promised him he'd find in Iris was too seductive to give up. So, he'd ignore every imperfection he'd see in her. Blinded to anything and everything that wasn't his happily ever after. Thus, engraving her name on the pedestal he placed her on; and destroying any evidence that said otherwise.

Even so, he was married. And he should try harder to keep their relationship alive. No matter how hard it was.

But, then again, there's Caitlin. And she made everything so _easy_.

He never had to try with her. It felt natural, and she comforted him without ever trying.

And even when they argued, it was always out of love.

What if this is all bad timing?

Clearly, his marriage has been less than cordial lately, but being forced to lose all self-control made it impossible not to notice Caitlin.

Caitlin.

 _Caitlin_.

 ** _Caitlin_**.

Her name echoed through the wind, and he saw her face in his lightning.

He stopped running.

Barry took a slow and shaky breath.

Her smile, he thought. He saw her _smile_ in his lightning.

He had to see her. Yes, he was still married, and yes he was going to hate himself if he did even a fraction of what he's been wanting to do to her- but _he had to go see her_. And he didn't care if what force made him see how badly he wanted this... Her...

All he cared about was that he needed to feel her in front of him. To see her. See her _smile_. Plain and simple. That's it. Her smile. It's fine if he only wanted to see her smile, right?

Maybe even hear her laugh?

Or hug her, if she'd let him.

He gulped.

Just a quick glance, he thought as he started jogging.

Barry thought of the way her pouty lips curled into a smirk, and he found himself running faster than ever before.

* * *

"We need to talk."

Caitlin gulped and shifted her weight. Straight to business, huh?

She sucked her lower lip into her mouth, crushing it between her teeth. She didn't know what to say, or how to start a conversation anymore. Her eyes darted to her own shoes, but she could still feel Iris's glare on her being. Her stare was so familiar to Caitlin. She saw that glare many times before when she was first dubbed Killer Frost. If looks were venomous, she was poisoned.

"Wanna take a seat?" She asked, motioning to one of her stools.

Iris ignored her, "He gave me back his ring."

Caitlin watched as Iris moved in closer to her, with Barry's ring clutched between her index finger and thumb.

"What the hell did you tell him to want to end a marriage?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Bullshit," Iris accused, "You must've done something. What? Did you bat his eyelashes? Show him a little skin? Maybe even brought out Killer Frost to play? You know he likes it rough."

Iris was stalking closer to Caitlin, almost losing her footing along the way. Even from a yard or so away, Caitlin could smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Are you drunk?" She asked, reaching over to her to keep her from falling.

"Don't touch me, you homewrecker!"

Okay, she deserves that.

 **"No you don't,"** Frost's voice echoed through her head, **"You didn't do anything to make him want you."**

"Iris," Caitlin said, ignoring Frost, "You need to let me help you."

Iris laughed and held onto the chair in between both of them, "No, I _need_ to slap you for trying to steal my husband."

"You aren't thinking straight," Caitlin offered, sounding a lot calmer than she actually was.

"You aren't thinking at all! He's married, Caitlin! To me! I'm his wife! Me!" Iris's voice was growing louder but harder to understand. Her eyes collected a pool of tears, and once she blinked the floodgates opened.

Caitlin sighed and touched her arm, trying to pull her in the direction of the med lab, but Iris tore her arm away from her touch.

"I said don't touch me, slut!"

 **"This bitch."**

'Stop it,' she warned Frost silently.

"Come with me to the med bay," She told Iris, "I need to get some fluids into you before you get any more dehydrated."

"The only place you're going to is straight to hell!"

Iris stumbled and lost her footing, but fell into a sitting position on the chair.

She sighed, "Fine, stay here. I'll go get the IV Supply. Don't move."

Caitlin began walking away, leaving Iris confused and angry.

"Where are you going?" She heard Iris call, "Come back here, you whore! We're not done talking!"

 **"Why are you helping her?"** Frost asked, sounding annoyed, **"She's a nightmare."**

Caitlin walked faster, rounding each corner.

"It's not her fault," She said out loud, "She's drunk and she's hurt. She's not herself right now."

 **"No, I'm pretty sure she's always been a whiny bitch."**

Caitlin suppressed her need to laugh as she entered the med bay. She went straight to her medical cart and searched for the proper fluid. Once she found it, she headed toward the bed and took hold of the IV pole, hooking the bag on and running the long tube through the opposite hole, so she could wheel the pole without it obstructing the wheel.

She turned, pole in hand, and headed toward the door, but she stopped, shocked, as her eyes fell on none other than Barry Allen.

He sure has awful timing, doesn't he?

"Hey," She whispered, her hand falling slowly from the IV pole.

Barry gulped, suddenly remembering the last time they were together and the revelation they had made. His eyes went to her lips. This never-ending need to be beside may soon go away if they just...

"Barry," Caitlin said, as he took a few steps closer to her, "Where have you been?"

"Running."

Caitlin crossed her arms, then glanced at the IV pole, remembering why she was there. She promptly uncrossed them and grabbed the pole once more.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're okay."

She walked toward him, with the intention of leaving through the entryway, but he blocked her path. They stood a foot from each other.

"I need to go, Barry, Iris-"

"Wait," He quickly stated, grabbing onto her shoulders, "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm doing here?"

She glanced down at his arms and then back at him, raising an eyebrow, "Not really. You work here."

He let go of her once he saw how uncomfortable that made her.

"Right," he laughed nervously, "Well, I just, wanted to come and see you."

Caitlin thought about the last time he told her that. It was very late, and they were very much alone.

"Well you saw me," She cleared her throat and stepped to the side, trying to get around him.

He mirrored her footing, forcing her to stay put, "I needed to feel you."

His voice lowered.

Barry closed the gap between them, placing his hand on her cheek.

She clutched his hand in hers and moved it away from her face, "Barry, don't."

He drew a breath, and Caitlin could feel it on her skin. His eyes wandered to her hair and eyes, then nose, and lips. She was beautiful, even with her frown lines prominently showing. Absolutely beautiful.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, "I'm sorry I can't help myself when I'm around you. Or when I'm away from you. Or ever, lately, when it comes to you. You're just... I'm sorry."

"It's okay," She glanced down, unable to stare at the green in his eyes, "It's biology."

"Biology?" He asked, stepping closer, forcing her to back up.

She nodded, taking another step backward as he hunted toward her, "You have biological needs, and I'm a semi-attractive female at the prime of her physical sexual cycle. It's only natural you have these... urges."

He chuckled, "Is that so?"

He had cornered her to the bed, where the back of her knees reached the edge, making her involuntarily sit down on the side.

She nodded, and he crouched in front of her so they were at eye level.

"Did you already forget what I told you, Dr. Snow?"

She closed her eyes. His voice was rough and low, creating soft vibrations in his throat. He was making it difficult to think clearly.

He continued, "I've had genuine feelings for you, Cait. I don't just want to fuck you."

Hearing him curse made her wet. She clutched the bedding and he noticed, forcing a smirk on his lips.

"Barry," She said, finding her voice, "You need to stop this right now."

His face etched closer to hers until she felt the tip of his nose brush her own. She shut her eyes, only focusing on how fast and hard the beating in her chest had become.

"Tell me you don't want this."

Her breathing became irregular, "You need to stop."

"Tell me," his right hand found the back of her neck as his left hand grabbed possession of the outside of her right thigh.

"Barry, please."

His eyes were clenched as hard as hers were, "Please what?"

"This isn't you, Barry."

She insisted, her voice forlorn with pain. She wanted so dearly to fall for the fairytale but was perpetually anchored to reality. She couldn't afford to be hurt again. Not by another man. And certainly not by the same man who's hurt her before.

Barry's eyes darted open and he saw her hesitation. He understood more than he was willing to admit. But being here, with her, in this small pocket of time, and sharing this quiet infinitesimal moment...

It meant everything to him.

It reminded him of that dream. Where they were together. Happy. An infinite amount of opportunities ahead of them both- ready to be faced together.

"Caitlin," He was out of breath, desire in his chest, "Being with you... it's like running."

He leaned in and swore he saw stars in her eyes.

"That's very much me."

He reached down and connected his lips to hers. He applied pressure to his right hand, deepening the kiss. He felt her hands on his broad shoulders and he allowed his left hand to swim up against her body, following the curve of her side toward her waist. She moaned against his mouth and he bit her lip, forcing his tongue inside.

He lowered her down to the bed and climbed on top, pressing his body over hers. Rubbing his waist against hers. Making sure she knew exactly how much he wanted her.

He broke the kiss, "Last chance. Tell me you don't want this, and I'll stop."

In response, Caitlin grabbed his face and pulled him closer, kissing him more passionately than before. Her hands tugged at the back of his hair and he grunted, as the sudden pain made his cock twitch.

His hands went to her waist and he flipped them so she was on top. Finding herself in this new position, she wasted no time to straddle him and leaned back, removing her shirt in the process.

Barry touched the newly bare skin and pulled her toward him, kissing her harder once more. She moaned and he cupped her bra, feeling the lace on his fingers while biting her shoulder.

"What the fuck!"

They both jumped and turned their heads to where the sound came from. Iris stood by the entrance with her clothes disheveled and a half-empty test tube in her hand.

Caitlin lept off from Barry immediately and her eyes darted to the cylinder. Barry rose from the bed, standing close behind Caitlin.

"Tell me you didn't drink that!" Caitlin yelled, referring to the liquid.

"I'm going to kill you!" Iris shouted, as she clumsily began to sprint toward the two heroes.

Caitlin saw the sheer hatred in her eyes as she darted toward her. Barry grabbed onto Caitlin, trying to pull her behind him so he could protect her, but was too late. In retaliation, Iris threw the remainder of the liquid onto Caitlin's exposed chest in a hard and swift motion, causing some splatter to reach Barry's face.

Barry stood still, breathing in deeply, and taking in the effects of another dose (though small) of Olivia's power. He didn't react when Iris pushed Caitlin to the ground and slapped her across the face.

Iris slapped her again harder and began to openly cry on top of her.

When Caitlin turned her face toward Iris, her eyes were blue and her hair was stark white.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Hey, sorry this one's a bit short- but school's hectic. Next chapter will wrap _everything_ up (if it gets to be too much I'll split it in two and publish both at the same time, promise!) and then I might write an epilogue if you'd like. If you have time, I'd really appreciate it if you participated in my poll (on my profile). I want to write another Flash story, but I'm having trouble deciding which plot. I have one in mind, but I'd have to outline and do _lots_ of research for it- and I just don't have time for that atm. So, in the meantime, I'd like to write one of the four I posted up. Anyway, thanks for reading! x

* * *

When Caitlin heard Iris's voice as she felt Barry's lips on her body, she felt a small knocking on the door of her subconscious. When Iris pushed her down to the floor, that knocking turned into pounding. And finally, once she felt Iris's hard palm on the side of her cheek, the door busted open. And there _she_ was, ready and waiting like a rancorous blizzard- _Killer_ _Frost_.

"That actually hurt."

Her voice was distorted, but it was evident she was surprised.

Iris, however, was unaware of the sudden transformation beneath her. She was feeling the after-effects of completing her 'desire.' The wave of relief from finishing the task was mixed together with the pain and agony of the betrayal she witnessed. It was a strange sensation, like coming off from a high while also being at its peak.

Her legs were around either side of Frost's waist, while her hands covered her weeping face.

Frost was unbothered, her one objective was to cause her as much pain as possible, "Bet this hurts more."

The snow queen gave Iris a cold-hard shove, causing her to fly back to the nearest wall. Iris grunted in pain once her back hit the glass wall. The impact was hard enough to leave a crack on its surface. She wouldn't be alarmed if that caused a few bones to break.

Frost stood up from the floor and ran her hand through her hair nonchalantly.

"So, was I right?" She asked while forming a large icicle on her palm, "Or should we go double or nothing?"

She threw the icicle toward Iris. Once Iris moved for head to the side, it crashed into the wall and broke into smaller pieces. She managed to barely graze Iris's skin, leaving behind a neat fine red line on her cheek.

Frost frowned and made another sharp ice dagger in her hand. She threw it again, but Iris dropped to the floor and it completely missed her.

"Stop moving!" Frost ordered and started walking toward Iris.

There was a rolling chair in her way. Frost glanced at it and walked past it. But then she remembered listening in to the conversation Cisco had with Caitlin. Something about an obscene vision he had involving Caity and the heroic speedster himself. She glanced back at Barry and narrowed her eyes slightly- thinking. She could just kill Iris and be done with it, but that wouldn't be as fun. No, not nearly as fun.

"Maybe I over-reacted," Frost said once she reached Iris.

In turn, Iris lifted her head and stared back at Frost with relief coating her face. Frost held a hand out to her, but once Iris grabbed it, Frost pushed her into the chair and bounded her hands and legs to the chair with ice.

"Barry, please! Do something!" Iris shouted.

Barry was still in his trance, but upon hearing his name, his eyes glazed to the two women. He felt lightheaded, and the world around him seemed foggy. Once his gaze fell on Frost, his vision sharpened and his head started to clear. The feeling was similar to that of drinking alcohol with his super metabolism. In an instant, he was intoxicated and then felt back to normal.

He looked back at Iris and noticed how close Frost was to her, so he used his speed to grab Frost and push her toward the opposite wall. He held her wrists and put them above her head. Barry felt her wrists turn colder with each passing second.

"Caitlin, snap out of it!"

"So impatient," Frost smirked and glanced behind him at Iris, making sure she was watching.

Being so close to Frost confused him. Part of him wanted to kiss her, and the other part wanted to focus on saving Iris. She looked too much like Caitlin. Barry shut his eyes, the ghost of a headache haunting him, "Don't... hurt...Iris."

"Iris?" She scoffed, "She attacked _me_. If anything you should be more concerned with my wellbeing. Or are you more interested in brunettes?"

Once Frost said that last comment, her eyes turned brown for a moment, causing Barry to loosen his grip on her wrists. That was enough for Frost to flip him so she held him to the wall. A cool mist escaped her hands, lowering Barry's temperature and making it harder for him to move- so he wouldn't escape.

Frost smiled, "You really do have a type."

She feigned a pained expression for a moment, but then clutched the material surrounding his chest and pulled him closer to her so that she was inches from his face, "Don't worry, I'll let you call me Caity."

The moment Barry felt Frost's cool lips on his, he felt a shock throughout his body. He was frozen, metaphorically, but felt the coldness run through his body, and thought he would soon freeze in a more literal sense.

He was fighting a losing battle with his mind, as his senses were confusing him. The woman pinning him down was not Caitlin Snow, and yet it was- and that made his head spin.

"Barry!" He heard Iris call out, her voice sounded strained and Barry wondered how long she'd been yelling.

His hands moved involuntarily to push Frost away from his body, "Caitlin, please…"

His voice was hoarse and shaky, "Stop…"

"That didn't sound very convincing," Frost smirked and glanced back at Iris.

They were too far away from her, and that simply wouldn't do.

She pushed him until he felt a cool metallic counter by the backs of his thighs. She ripped his shirt open, revealing a smooth and defined chest. Frost took a moment to stare, which gave Barry enough time to kick her back, causing her to fall on the ground a few feet away.

He panted, "Snap out of it!"

He wasn't sure if he was just thinking out loud or trying to talk sense into Caitlin.

Frost took a knee and stared back at the underdressed Flash with a clear frown on her face. She was getting heated in more ways than one, and Barry's resistance was proving to be less fun than she had originally hoped for.

Annoyed, she aimed her powers at him, partially freezing him to the counter, "Talk about a cold shoulder."

Okay, bad idea- he thought. The more he resisted the more persistent she became.

He began vibrating his body to thaw himself as Frost started heading his direction again.

If fighting wasn't working, maybe he should try a different method.

By the time Frost made her way to him, he could move freely but still felt a shiver. He flashed her to the other side of the counter and pushing her body into a sitting position on top of its cool surface.

"Come on, Dr. Snow. Is that all you got?" He asked, trying to coax Caitlin out.

He grabbed the side of Frost's face and pulled her to him. As they kissed, he started vibrating against her- heating her up in the process. She felt her body absorb the added heat, but with each kiss, Frost was having a harder time remembering why they were there in the first place.

Barry kissed down her neck and noticed that her hair was changing slowly back to its natural auburn locks. He glanced back at Iris and felt a rush of guilt as he noted the tears running down her face. Though the more Caitlin seemed to gain control, the harder it was for Barry to keep it.

He stopped vibrating when he felt the warmth of Caitlin's body on the tips of his fingers. Barry pulled back and saw brown eyes meet his green ones.

He smiled back, glad it was all over.

They both stared at one another as they gasped for air, taking in the visible parts of skin they hardly got the chance to notice before.

Barry took note of the way Caitlin's chest heaved up and down, two molds rising and falling in rhythm. He looked at her bruised lips as all the blood flushed to her mouth and cheeks. When he looked to her eyes once more, he lost all hope of control.

This is it. There's no turning back now.

He pulled her to him once more and when their lips connected the world stopped existing. It was only them. All that mattered was his lips on hers, the way her smooth body felt on his chest, the smell of her hair. _This_ is what he wanted- what he needed. To hell with everything else. To hell with every _one_ else.

With Iris completely forgotten, Barry's mind only held one thought: Caitlin Snow.

His latent desires were kicked in hyperdrive and he felt the need to be with her stronger than ever before. He was drowning underneath a frozen lake, filling all of his senses with everything that was Caitlin. What a lovely way to go.

Caitlin, meanwhile, was affected by the concentrated dosage of Desire's powers and the only thing on her mind was how fast was the fastest man alive, _really_. But more importantly, she was drawn to his undying heat. He was a ball of fire that she wanted to scorch her to dust. Each kiss was electric. Each touch- magnetic. Their atoms were drawn to each other in an impossible measure. Nothing and no one could get in between them.

Barry's hands captured Caitlin by the waist and he pulled her off the counter, flashing them the opposite glass wall. He used his speed to remove her jeans and held her to the wall- his crotch firmly holding hers as their tongues danced in each other's mouths.

He groaned into her as the friction of his pants on her sent shivers down his spine. Caitlin found herself quite welcoming of the friction.

They were both so preoccupied with each other, they didn't notice Iris's screams. Cisco Ramon, however, heard them the moment he stepped out of the elevator. He gripped his latest invention in his hands and rushed to the MedBay, already knowing what he would find.


End file.
